Sources of the Western Tradition, Volume 1

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With a collection of over 350 sources, each accompanied by an introductory essay and review questions, this two-volume primary source reader emphasizes the intellectual history and values of the Western tradition. Sources are grouped around important themes in European history--such as religion, education, and art and culture--so that readers can analyze and compare multiple documents. The Eighth Edition features additional sources by and about women, completely revised chapters on modern Europe and its place in the contemporary world, and updates to introductions and review questions.

The Ancient World

The Near East

Mesopotamian Protest against Death: Epic of Gilgamesh

Mesopotamian Concepts of Justice: Code of Hammurabi

Divine Kingship in Egypt: Hymns to the Pharaohs

Guidelines for the Ruler

Religious Inspiration of Akhenaten: Hymn to Aton

Love, Passion, and Misogyny in Ancient Egypt: Love Poetry

The Instruction of Ankhsheshonq

Empire Builders: the Assyrian Empire, Inscription of Tiglathpileser I

The Persian Empire, Inscriptions of Cyrus and Darius I

The Myth-Making Outlook of the Ancient Near East: Personification of Natural Objects

Lament for Ur, the Gods and Human Destiny

The Hebrews

Hebrew Cosmogony and Anthropology: Genesis

Human Sinfulness: Genesis, the Origins of Sin

The Covenant and the Ten Commandments: Exodus, the Covenant

Exodus, the Ten Commandments

Humaneness of Hebrew Law: Exodus, Crime and Punishment

Leviticus, Neighbor and Community

Deuteronomy, Judges, Witnesses, and Justice

God's Greatness and Human Dignity: Psalm 8

Psalm 104

The Problem of Undeserved Suffering: Job, "[God] destroys both the blameless and the wicked."

The Age of Classical Prophecy: Amos and Isaiah, Social Justice

Isaiah, Peace and Humanity

The Greeks

Homer: the Educator of Greece: Homer, the Iliad

Lyric Poetry: Sappho, Love, Passion, and Friendship

Early Greek Philosophy: the Emancipation of Thought from Myth: Aristotle, Thales of Miletus

Anaximander

Aristotle, Pythagoras

The Expansion of Reason: Hippocrates, the Sacred Disease, the Separation of Medicine from Myth

Thucydides, Method of Historical Inquiry

Critias, Religion as a Human Invention

Humanism: Pindar, the Pursuit of Excellence

Sophocles, Lauding Human Talents

The Persian Wars: Herodotus, the Histories

Greek Drama: Sophocles, Antigone

Athenian Greatness: Thucydides, the Funeral Oration of Pericles

The Status of Women in Classical Greek Society: Euripides, Medea

Aristophanes, Lysistrata

The Peloponnesian War: Thucydides, the Melian Dialogue and the Revolution at Corcyra

Socrates: the Rational Individual: Plato, the Apology

Plato: the Philosopher-King: Plato, the Republic

Aristotle: Science, Politics, and Ethics: Aristotle, History of Animals, Politics, and Nicomachean Ethics